The food-obsessed nation has long been one of Asia’s most obese countries, with half of its adults overweight and one in five people living with diabetes, according to official statistics.
These preventable lifestyle diseases are draining Malaysia’s healthcare system of billions of ringgit each year, at a time when hospitals are overcrowded, and doctors are overworked and underpaid.
On Thursday, the 2024 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), published by the Institute for Public Health, revealed that one in three people aged 5 to 19 were overweight, with only two in five living a physically active lifestyle.
Half of this excess sugar comes from sweetened beverages.
“The report found that 63.1 per cent of adolescents and 40 per cent of adults are consuming more sugar than suggested,” Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said at its launch. “Half of this excess sugar comes from sweetened beverages.”
Malaysia’s fondness for sugary drinks has come under renewed scrutiny in recent months, with health advocates criticising food influencers for promoting overly sweet drink recipes during Ramadan, which ended in March.
